Make it Mite-Proof to Reduce Asthma Flare Ups

IN YOUR DAILY DOSE: you’ll discover that while exposure to bacteria may support your immune system (as discussed yesterday), exposure to dust mites does not.

MAKING CHANGES: There are several ways to reduce your exposure to dust mites that multiply and thrive in your bedding.

FACT OR FICTION: Did you know that wreckage from the Twin Towers is now sailing the seas as part of . . .

In The News

Dust mites, or rather dead mites and their excrement are potent protein allergens that increase the risk of asthma flare ups and allergic reactions. These little creatures, many times too small to see, thrive and multiply in your bedding and mattress. They live off your dead skin cells, which you shed by the hundreds, if not thousands, every day.

As you spend the majority of your time in your bed, this is often the best place to find them and guard against them. Couches, chairs and carpet are other places they live. Mites don’t drink water but absorb fluid from humidity in the air. So a dryer environment in your living room is less hospitable to them than a warm cozy bed.

Research has found that using mite-proof bed covers over your mattress will help reduce the number of colonies living in your bedding. Wash your sheets every week or two, and wash your pillow every six months. Throw your pillows out after two to three years as the weight of the mites often increases the weight of your pillow - and the reaction to their excrement.

Dust mites don’t really live on dust, but rather your dead skin cells. By reducing the amount of dust and dead cells available as a food source, you may also reduce the number of mites and the potential for allergic reactions.

Making Changes

Consider the changes discussed above as well as vacuuming your carpets at least twice a week, cleaning the filter on your vacuum every month and vacuuming your furniture as well.

Wash your bedding and cover your mattress with a mite-proof cover. Blankets and down comforters are well loved by dust mites - so don’t forget to clean them as well. Dust mites don’t live well in wool covers - and these actually work well both summer and winter.

Daily Affirmation

Today, I know where my focus lies and I am committed to staying on track. Each day brings a new opportunity to renew my focus and diligence in achieving important goals. Self-Reflection Questions: 1. What works best for me when I want to tune out distractions to work towards a goal? 2. How do I know if my goals are unrealistic? 3. In which scenarios are distractions actually helpful in my goal setting?

Fact or Fiction?

Did you know that wreckage from the Twin Towers is now sailing the seas as part of . .

Did you know that steel from the twin towers has been used to build the USS New York, an amphibious transport dock and the fifth ship to be named after New York. The ship is the first to be fully designed using a specialized computer program. Shortly after the attack September 11, 2001, the Governor of NY asked the Secretary of the Navy to bestow the name “New York” on the warship and include some of the steel from the towers. 6.8 tons of steel used in the construction of the ship came from the rubble of the World Trade Center, representing less than one thousandth of the total weight of the ship.